hello old friend, you haven't aged a day
by Snowsheba
Summary: In which Rosa is Champion, a childhood friend remains steadfast by her side, and life is enjoyed for all that it offers. [Oneshot, Sequelshipping, Rosa/Hugh]


**I wrote a sequelshipping thing. Because I can. And because I beat White 2 in about 26 hours. (Longer than usual.)**

**I'm sorry I've been so inactive but whatcha gonna do. School's important, yo. Get good grades.**

* * *

"Oh, hey, and before I forget – congrats on being Champion."

Rosa spared him a sidelong glance, wondering if he was being serious when his tone was so flippant. He was, if those solemn eyes were any indication, and she gave him a small smile as he continued, "I called it. You have good instincts."

She smiled in response, curling her fingers behind her back, and she felt a little flutter as Hugh's face broke into a cheerful grin.

* * *

Rosa joined him after spying him going to Aspertia's overview. He often went there now to reflect, and before he had taken the Liepard back to his sister, he had gone there to brood.

"If you don't mind my asking," he said once she was next to him, giving her a little look before turning forward again. "Why did you volunteer yourself to fight Team Plasma?"

She tilted her head, blinking, unsure where he was going. "I'm not sure what you mean," she answered quietly, interlocking her fingers together, resting her elbows on the metal railing.

"You didn't have to," he elaborated, and she glanced at him as guilt briefly clouded his features, gone in an instant. "I pressured you into it, but you could've still refused."

"Oh." She smiled, looking down at her thin, pale hands, and told him honestly, "It never crossed my mind to say no."

Hugh turned and looked at her, really _looked_ at her, and she felt his eyes as he saw her in a newfound light. "No?"

"No."

"Not once?"

She shakes her head slightly. "Not once."

He turned away, a hint of a smile on his face, but all he said was "I see." She knew him well enough to know he meant, and so she didn't say anything else.

But he surprised her, when he said, "Thanks for that," and she realized that she wasn't the only one who had grown up a little, or maybe a lot, on her journey.

* * *

Rosa had been reigning Champion for a few months when he came to visit her at the League.

"Not here to fight you," he said when she had stood up. She was weary from her last challenger – who had gotten pretty close to beating her, all things considered, at least until she'd let her Lucario take over – and she was fully prepared to battle again, but she sat back down in relief at his words. "Just wanted to see you."

"You see me all the time," she replied, leaning forward so she could rest her elbow on her knee, her head in her hand. "When I'm not here, I'm usually at home, after all."

"Yeah, but." He stopped, and she saw the expression she'd labeled 'conflicted' over the time she had known him, darken his face. He only lost his voice for a few moments, however, and then he said, "Seeing you battle is a whole other story. You're just so… _good_."

"Oh." Coming from Hugh, that was significant. "Thanks," she said, and she gave him a smile to know she really meant it. "I'm only here because of my Pokemon, though."

"And that's why you are so good, because you know where your power comes from," he replied, and then he came over to stand over her. "It's why you're Champion."

"I guess so." She waited for him to sit down, and when he did, he was very close, close enough that their shoulders were touching. She felt a little thrill up her arm at the contact. "Being Champion doesn't make me all that special, though. I'm just me."

"You're the strongest trainer in the region," he corrected, gently nudging her. "If you went up against other Champions in other regions, you could be the strongest in the _world_."

"I couldn't do that," she said with a small laugh, looking down at the ground. "I'm not nearly good enough."

"But," he said with exaggerated patience, "You could be."

"There's no one I can really practice against," she said quietly. "So no, I can't."

"Don't be such a cynic," he replied. "There're lots of hidden gems everywhere. You can find the really good trainers if you search for them."

"Where would I find the time?"

"You'd make it work."

"But I can't just abandon my post."

"Sure you can. Iris can cover you."

"But – "

"I think you should go for it," he interrupted. He wasn't looking at her, and somehow, this makes her focus even more on his words. "I know I'm not the first person you listen to, but you could really go far, if you wanted to."

She didn't know how to feel about that, even though her mouth moved on autopilot. "Hugh, I – "

"You're really talented, and strong, and careful," he continued, as though he couldn't hear her. "Whenever you battle, people stop to watch, have you ever noticed? Your technique is practically flawless. The way you battle is so amazing I can only hope to replicate it someday."

"Now you're just flattering me," she said, dismissively. She knew she was good, but she certainly wasn't worthy of that much praise, especially from him.

"I mean it." He stared at her intensely, eyes wide, his hands fists on the ground. "I know you, and I know you can do anything you want to, if you felt like doing it."

She didn't know what to say to that, so she simply stared at him back, keeping her silence. He understood, as she had known he would, but he didn't move, awaiting her response.

"I'll think about it," she said at last, but she was sure that she would act on his words – if not today, then soon. His honesty was beautiful and who was she to ignore it?

"You do that," he said with that cheery grin of his, the one so fleeting it was as if it had never been there, and then he stood up and was gone.

* * *

Sometimes Rosa would look at the sky and wonder what N was up to. The man – no, the boy, really, that's what he was – had never opened up to her, even when she'd gone to battle him in his desecrated castle, even when she had seen his room and learned more about him then than anything he'd ever told her.

She wished she could meet the trainer from two years ago, the one that brought a faraway look in Cheren and Bianca's eyes, the one that made N so passionate about his cause, the one that made every Gym Leader smile faintly in fond remembrance. She was told so precious little about that trainer that she didn't even know their gender, and this made her all the more curious.

Hugh found her the evening she was feeling particularly wistful – not about meeting the trainer, but about all that had transpired in the short time she had been in Unova. She knew there had been a crisis, and that Ghetsis and the mystery trainer had been involved, before she had arrived; but whenever she dared to ask a native, they would clam up and not breathe a word.

"You look sad."

"I'm not," she replied softly, remaining where she was. Floccesy Ranch was ideal for stargazing, and she knew he would sit down next to her if she didn't move. She was rewarded for her patience when he plopped down as if the world weighed heavy on his shoulders, shifting until he felt comfortable. He was close enough that she could feel his warmth, and she found herself reflexively shivering.

"Then that means you're thinking." He cast his glance to the sky, and she traced his jawline with her eyes. "Something up?"

"Nothing important." She looked down as his head tilted in her direction a few degrees.

His response was prompt. "Lay it on me."

"I was just – " She stopped halfway; would he be like anyone else she had asked, and fall silent? But then, she thought to herself, he's Hugh. If anyone would tell her, he would. "I was just wondering about what happened two years ago."

"Two years ago?" She nodded, and now he was turned towards her, hand braced on the ground for balance, as he said incredulously, "You mean no one ever told you?"

"Every time I ask, everyone goes silent and I never know," she replied, tracing a finger in the grass. She draws swirls, circles, curls; never straight lines, because she's learned the only way to follow a path is to walk on both sides. "Ex-Team Plasma only told us a brief synopsis in Driftveil."

"Yeah, I guess they did skip a number of details." Hugh was now facing her completely, and she turned herself so she was also facing him, hugging her legs in the cool breeze. "Plasma was under N – you remember him." Rosa nodded, and Hugh continued, "Like I said a bunch of times, they had stolen my sister's Purrloin back then. Their idea was to liberate Pokemon from trainers."

"But they were using Pokemon themselves?"

"See, that's the gray area of the whole thing." Hugh rested his chin on his folded arms, which in turn rested on his knees. "N wanted to free Pokemon who were abused by their trainers, and he assumed all trainers treated their Pokemon the same way. So his followers stole their Pokemon from trainers, and then released them – or used them. Like Purrloin."

His teeth were clenched as he clipped off the last word, and she didn't even think as she reached out and placed her hand on his own. "Purrloin's capture wasn't your fault, you know," she told him, and his hands were so warm in comparison to hers. He watched her face as she said, "Whatever the circumstance, Team Plasma is the one to blame."

"You don't understand," he replied, and he wasn't angry, just frank. He didn't bat her hand away, though, and she left it there, even though her positioning was vaguely uncomfortable. "I was fighting one of their grunts, and I lost. If I had won, none of it would have happened."

"If you'd won, then maybe you would have never gone on a journey," Rosa countered.

"But then my sister – "

"If you'd won, you never would've met the Pokemon you have today."

"But – "

"If you'd won, then maybe I wouldn't have ever met you." She swallowed hard, because that wasn't what she meant to say but Hugh had fallen silent, staring at her. She continued in a voice that trembled, "And that would be very sad."

Neither of them said anything for a few moments, and then she realized her hand was still on his, and she quickly pulled away. Or, at least, she would have, had he not grabbed her hand and laced his fingers through her own.

"That would be sad, wouldn't it," was all he said, and she had to look down to hide a smile.

* * *

She was in Castelia City when he called. It had been a few days since they'd seen each other; Champion duties interfered with a lot of her personal business, and Hugh himself was becoming a sort of advocate for Pokemon rights, and neither of them were left alone by the paparazzi due to her fame, which consequently rubbed off on him.

"Where are you?" is his greeting, and she has to smile, sitting in the hidden park of Castelia under the only tree.

"Castelia City, in the park," she replied. There was only one other person milling about, an older veteran trainer who was watching his Pokemon meander about with a soft smile on his face.

"No wonder it's so quiet," he said, and then, "How do I get there?"

"Through the sewers. Should I meet you at the entrance?"

"No, don't, I've got three reporters on my tail right now. I'll find my way. Be there in a few." She saw him glance behind him, yelp some sort of curse, and then the line goes to static. She ends the call on the Xtransceiver and leans back, closing her eyes.

After a number of minutes, she heard a rustling, and she opened her eyes to find him settling down next to her, his hand automatically finding hers, their fingers intertwining with each other's. "Stupid newspapers," he grumbles, and she nudges him with her elbow, earning her a sigh. "Fine, fine, not stupid, just annoying. Who knows what the tabloids will have next week."

"They do have entertainment value," she said lightly, and he gave her a look that said _I still can't believe you read them_. "Last week, they claimed Brycen and I were to get engaged; the week before, they covered a story on my apparent adoration for Marlon."

"Hmph." His hand tightened around hers. "I still don't like it."

"Jealous?"

"As if. You can't resist this." He performed a sort of hair-flick, its effect completely lost due to the shortness of his hair, and she laughed. "Gets the girls every time."

"You're a moron."

"Yeah, but you like me anyway."

_Can't argue with that_. She settled for scooting closer instead, and he released her hand in favor of curling an arm around her waist. They sat in silence for a few moments, the muted sounds of the city covered by the playful chirps of the Pokemon nearby.

"For the record," he said suddenly, without preamble, "I like you a lot."

She smiled, leaning into him. "For the record, I like you a lot, too."

* * *

She wasn't surprised when, after she voiced her decision to explore other regions, Hugh immediately nominated himself to come with. He sought her out after the press conference, and even though hundreds of reporters crowded behind them, he turned her head and pressed his lips to hers. Cameras went off with bright flashes and the jabbering increased twofold, and then he pulled away and she was left breathless as he began to pull her in the opposite direction.

"I knew you'd come around," he said with a grin, and she could only laugh, gripping his hand as tightly as he held hers. "This is going to be awesome."

She smiled and laughed, the wind tugging at her hair and clothes, and they ran on.


End file.
